Tag: offshore

Robin Banks RIP

September 16, 2018

Hans Knot has today reported on Facebook - "Just received a sad message that this afternoon around 2.25 CET Robin Banks passed away after a long period of illness due to kidney cancer."

Robin was station engineer and sometimes dj on Radio Nordsee International off the coast of Holland also England until it's closedown.
The ship was later used for relaying the programmes of The Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah Broadcasting Corporation while its shore-based facilities were being over-hauled. The last Europeans to work on the ship were two Dutch engineers, Joop and Koos, with Prinz Holman and former RNI DJ/engineer Robin Banks. These last two were responsible for the final English language programme to be broadcast when at 05.00 GMT on 14th August 1978 an hour long show was put out, illicitly, celebrating and remembering offshore radio on the anniversary of the Marine Offences Act.

In 1981 both the Mebo II and the Angela (by then renamed El Fateh and Almasira) were sunk when used as targets for Libyan rocket practice - a dramatic end to an action-packed episode in the annals of offshore radio.

More details here:

http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/rni9.htm

Info via WOR

Larry Dean RIP

Larry Dean, aka Frank Laseter , RIP. He is missed not only by family but also by thankful radio listeners far and near.

In May 1966, a new radio station with a big sound appeared on the AM dial noted very early by Rolf Mong and myself and created a mass appeal among young people throughout Europe. I was just 15 at the time and was hooked! That was Swinging Radio England(SRE), operating first on 845 Khz and later on 1322 khz. It operated from a former US Navy ship in the North Sea off Essex called the Olga Patricia.

One of the presenters on the air was Larry Dean who had left WPTR in Albany to become a very influential voice in the UK and Northern Europe.

He is still fondly remembered. I got to know him at the 2006 Radio England/Britain Radio(BR) Reunion and enjoyed his company.

I became the station's historian, and in my essay "The Radio Rose of Texas"(2004-) Chapter 4 there is a paragraph called "The Larry Dean Show".

http://www.stellamaris.no/chapter4.htm
http://stellamaris.no/olgapatricia1322845.html

On my friend Jon Myer 's great website "The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame" there is a lot of interesting material about Larry Dean and his station, with bio and some great recordings that show what a really great broadcaster he was.

http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/djsd.htm
http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/sre7.htm
http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/sre1.htm

His last job in radio was as news director on Charlotte's WSOC-FM. I am proud to say that under his own name, Frank Laseter also appeared on our own station Radio Northern Star in promos from 2012 until 2016.

Picture is from the website of Jon Myer and was taken at the twin stations' first HQ which was the London Hilton near Hyde Park at the SRE/BR Reunion in May 1966. From l-r Station Founder (the late Don Pierson)'s son Grey, fellow broadcaster Rick Crandall, myself and Larry Dean.

Info via Facebook

OHR Radio Special Programs – Offshore Radio Remembered! 14 August 2018

Hallo!

Using my old station-Id. "OHR Radio / Offshore History Radio"
some special Offshore Radio programs will be airplayed via
Radio Channel292/6070.

On August 14th - http://www.coolam.nl/292-schedule.jpg -
3 programs - Remember the CloseDown August 14 1967 -
of the English Offshore stations - because of the Marine Offences Act.
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And, probably - on Thursdayevening August 30 - the last 4 hours of
RNI's International (english-) Service - from 2000 till 2400 hrs CET
(1800 - 2200 utc)